Doin Time in the Ghost Zone
by Nonny The Anon One
Summary: Vlad has been sentanced to garbage detail in the Ghost Zone by Clockwork, for crimes he has yet to commit. Join him in his humiliation and mock him! Because he deserves it.


**This little two shot is dedicated to my very best friend, Bluemyst19! I hope you all enjoy it, you have her to thank for the inspiration.**

Doin Time in the Ghost Zone

Vlad stood in the ether of the Ghost Zone, wearing a bright orange jumpsuit. No, it wasn't a jumpsuit like Jack's, it was the kind of jumpsuit worn by convicts working on the side of the road. It proclaimed to the world, "Beware, criminal here!"

He stood with a sour expression and a yellow trash bag in his hand as he stared grimly at the entity known and Clockwork.

"You will find," Clockwork began. "That trash from the living world has been contaminating the Ghost Zone. You are to see to it's removal and disposal."

"What?" Vlad asked in shock. "I am to be a finder of mismatched socks and lost pens?"

"If that is how you choose to look upon the task, so be it," Clockwork said stoically.

Vlad took a deep, exasperated breath. "Why are you making me do this again? What this punishment for?" Clockwork looked at Vlad for a moment and floated a few feet away as if to leave without an answer.

"Don't I get a fair trial?" Vlad complained. "Don't I get to defend myself against the charges rendered against me? Don't I get a lawyer or something?"

"I am your judge, your jury and your executioner if need be," he told Vlad emotionlessly. "You've already had your trial. You lost."

"What?" Vlad yelled. He and Clockwork had gone over this briefly when the keeper of time appeared in his lair and spirited him away, much to Vlad's intense chagrin.

Clockwork looked at Vlad tiredly, they'd gone over things so many times, that his nearly infinite patience was wearing thin. "You have been tried and convicted for your future crimes," the time keeper finally told him.

"What?" Vlad yelled again and began gesturing wildly. "You mean to tell me that I'm being punished for something I haven't even done yet? What kind of crazed up logic is that?"

"Plasmius," Clockwork said calmly. "It is not for you to question my logic . Your job is to pick up the trash littering the Ghost Zone. No questions asked."

"And this is supposed to be punishment? What is the point? I don't even know what I'm being punished for, and now I find out it's for something I haven't even done yet!" Vlad ranted as he threw the bag down at Clockwork's feet.

Clockwork looked down and watched as the bag drifted into the ether. He looked up at Vlad and said blandly, "Your bag is getting away, Vlad. You better catch it before it disappears." The two ghosts stood, staring each other down.

"Oh butter biscuits!" Vlad growled before flying down after the cursed yellow garbage bag. He could have sworn Clockwork was smirking when he returned, brandishing the bag with a flourish as he glared at the infuriating entity.

"I'll return when you finish," Clockwork told him. Vlad opened his mouth to ask how the spirit would know when he was finished, but the infernal creature had already vanished.

Vlad grumbled to himself as he shook out the trash bag and looked around, there were precious few real world items floating aimlessly. He sighed heavily and began moving through the ghost zone, so far he'd found a bottle cap, three crayons, a old French fry and a piece of moldy cheese.

He was chasing down a wad of paper when something caught his eye. Shining chrome which would have been glimmering in the sunlight, were sunlight to shine in the Ghost Zone, green flames, green eyes. Skulker.

"Great," Vlad growled as he shoved the paper into the bag with vicious force.

"Plasmius," Skulker said as he looked at Vlad with confusion. "What is this? Is it Halloween already?" The ghost snickered at his joke and Vlad narrowed his eyes.

"No," Vlad told him. "Now go away. I'm busy."

Skulker eyed the bag of trash then looked at Vlad. "You are picking up, trash?" he asked.

"Yes," Vlad answered coldly.

"Why?" Skulker questioned as he looked at Vlad in confusion. He took in Vlad's orange jumpsuit and shook his head in bewilderment.

"It's none of your business," Vlad growled as he started moving away, another piece of floating garbage catching his eye. Skulker, half grinned at the black words stamped on the back of Vlad's jumpsuit, which read, "Department of Corrections." The ghost watched Vlad for a few moments then followed.

"Did Walker put you up to this?" Skulker asked trying not to come off as amused as he was. "Seems like punishment to me and…."

"No!" Vlad yelled. "Walker is not making me clean up the Ghost Zone. Both you know and he knows that he doesn't have the power to enforce his stupid laws with me. Now go away. I'm busy."

"If not Walker," Skulker continued in growing pleasure at seeing Vlad so off guard and off kilter. "Then who? What creature has the power to force punishment on you?"

"Go away before I blast you into oblivion, Skulker," Vlad hissed. Skulker looked at Vlad a moment as if he was considering whether or not to risk Vlad's wrath and continue his questioning, or to leave. He finally decided it wasn't worth it, Vlad was not a creature with a sense of humor, and left.

"And good riddance," Vlad muttered to himself as he looked around for more trash. He wondered how long he was supposed to be at this stupid task. There was work to be done, plots to be plotted. He only had one garbage bag, what would happen when it was filled, would he be done?

He quickly set off to find as much garbage as he could, a toaster pleased him greatly as did several crumpled papers and several cans of soda. He put them all in the bag then looked around thoughtfully, wondering, how all the trash came to be in the Ghost Zone in the first place.

"Stupid trash," he growled as he stuck his hand in the bag, rooting around for one of the crumpled pieces of paper. His expression became one of intense disgust as he read the note then crumpled it again. He knew where he'd find more trash, and it was sad that he hadn't figured it out sooner, Jack Fenton seemed to be using the Ghost Zone for a trash dump.

Vlad looked around and yelled, "That stupid oaf is polluting the Ghost Zone and I'm the one who has to clean it up? How idiotic is that?" He growled, he was considering throwing the bag down and walking away when he heard someone laughing. He looked around but saw no one.

"Show yourself," he demanded.

"And what if I don't wish to?" The voice asked, almost seductively. Vlad rolled his eyes and looked around for more signs of trash. He moved in the direction of the Fenton portal and the female voice began laughing again.

"All right," he growled. "If you're going to watch me work, at least make yourself visible so I know who I'm talking to."

"Fine," the voice said. Vlad took a deep and irritated breath as Desiree, the wishing ghost appeared. Vlad gave her a peeved look then began looking around for more trash.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Vlad muttered something rude under his breath before answering, "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Picking up trash in a sexy orange jumpsuit," Desiree answered. "Did you know that orange is a sexual color?"

"No I didn't." Vlad replied as he scanned the area for more trash as he tried to ignore the ghost, trying quite hard to get his attention.

"Really, what are you doing, Plasmius?" Desiree asked sweetly.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Vlad questioned as he shook the bag at her.

Desiree smiled a slow, seductive smile as she inched closer. "It looks like you're up to no good."

Vlad raised his eyebrows and snorted. "I'm on a..um..mission."

"For trash?" Desiree asked in confusion. "I've seen a lot of ghostly fetishes in my day, but this is new."

"It's not a fetish," Vlad defended.

"Would you like to take a break?" Desiree asked as she smoothed her hand on Vlad's arm, her eyes hooding seductively as her voice dropped suggestively.

"No," Vlad growled as pulled away from the ghost's touch. He spotted what looked to be a empty bag from the Nasty Burger.

Desiree sighed. "What's your problem?"

"I don't like women," Vlad said then paused as Desiree gave him a stunned look.

"I never figured you to be…you know, gay," she responded, blinking in bewilderment.

Vlad growled and shoved the Nasty Burger trash into the yellow bag. "That's not what I meant." He moved away from Desiree hoping that she wouldn't follow him as he grabbed several Nasty Burger wrappers.

"What did you mean?" Desiree asked in mock innocence. "You said you didn't like women…"

"I meant that there is only one exceptional and beautiful woman who interests me, and you are not her," Vlad answered haughtily. "Now if you please, I have a great amount of work to do."

"Who is this one exceptional woman?" Desiree asked, her curiosity was piqued and she wasn't going to leave Vlad alone until it had been sated.

"Her name is of no consequence to you, now run along and play, harem girl, and leave me in peace."

"Fine," Desiree pouted as she looked Vlad up and down. She realized that Vlad wasn't going to budge. "But you do look kind of hot in that orange suit." She sighed then vanished. Vlad grumbled again under his breath then looked in the trash sack. It was almost filled. He smiled to himself as he grabbed more trash and shoved it into the bag, then tied it shut.

"Done," he announced, a satisfied smile growing on his face. He looked around, wondering where he was supposed to put the bag when a hand reached out from no where, took the filled sack then handed him an empty one.

"The hell!" Vlad growled. Whomever had exchanged bags with him was a little too fast for him to catch. He narrowed his eyes.

"Is this your idea of a joke, Clockwork?" he shouted into the nothingness. "If so, I'm letting you know, that I do not find it in the least bit funny!" No answer came. No chuckle. No sound. Vlad sighed in exasperation then flew off in search of new trash.

Eighteen bags of real world garbage later found Vlad in a worse mood than he was in before. He had run into several ghosts, some who attempted to speak to him, a few who attacked him, and a few more who pointed and laughed.

A discussion with Walker on the laws of the Ghost Zone, found Clockwork completely out of the law keeper's jurisdiction. Walker would have died laughing, when he happened upon Vlad Plasmius as he picked up trash in the orange jumpsuit, if he hadn't been dead all ready.

"Can he make me do this?" Vlad asked angrily.

Walker smiled and shook his head unable to give Vlad an answer. "That creature is out of my jurisdiction, not only by location but by power. He's one of the creatures such as yourself, who have seemed to have exempted themselves from Ghost Zone law." He paused. "Why haven't you returned the skeleton key?"

Vlad sneered at Walker and ignored his question. He didn't need to be told, he was well aware that his power was greater than most ghosts in the Ghost Zone, and that it irked the law keeper. Vlad knew that Walker's obsession was with law and order, and his rules weren't necessarily Ghost Zone law. In reality, the Ghost Zone remained rather lawless with a few pockets of order here and there, carved out by ghosts obsessed with law and justice, such as Walker. What mattered was power. If you were more powerful than Walker or his counterparts, then a ghost was considered exempt from their jurisprudence.

"What did you do?" Walker finally asked. "To deserve this terrible punishment?"

"I don't know," Vlad answered a wave of humiliation washing over him. "Apparently I am paying the price for a crime I have yet to commit."

"Really," Walker asked in amused curiosity. "That sounds like a set up to me. Is there proof of this alleged misdeed?" Vlad sighed and looked tiredly at Walker as the ghost went off an a tangent saying that he would love to use that line on the next ghost he felt like incarcerating.

Eighteen more trash bags full of trash later found Vlad, steaming mad and hungry for revenge. He didn't know who he wanted to take his anger out on first, Jack, who was obviously responsible for all the trash littering the ether of the Ghost Zone, or Clockwork with his inane punishment for nothing really at all. He sneered as he looked around for more trash, he would find a way to get to Clockwork and make him pay.

Vlad was in the middle of a large collection of garbage when Klemper showed up. He looked Vlad up and down, then looked in the garbage bag. Vlad said nothing, he simply narrowed his eyes at the blue skinned blonde haired ghost.

"Will you be my frrrieeeeeend?" Klemper moaned.

"Absolutely and positively not!" Vlad growled as he began shoving the trash around him into the bag, hoping to get out of the area quickly. The last thing he wanted was to be tailed by this pathetic ghost for the rest of his punishment, which would be more punishment than he hoped Clockwork intended, but then again, for all he knew, Clockwork sent Klemper to annoy him.

"Listen," Vlad said tiredly as he rubbed a gritty palm on the leg of his pants leaving black finger marks on the orange fabric. "Why don't you go find someone else to harass. Ember, you love Ember." Klemper's eyes lit up a moment and then he looked sad and shook his head.

Vlad growled something nasty and then smiled weakly at the friendless ghost. "I'm extremely busy as you can see," he told Klemper as he gestured to the garbage around them.

Klemper looked around dumbly then started gathering together the garbage and putting it into the bag. Vlad smiled evilly as he handed the bag to Klemper and relaxed a little as the ghost worked. He laughed slightly thinking that there was a way to turn every situation into an advantage.

"Why thank you, Klemper," Vlad said happily as he calculated in his head. He didn't think he could abandon his job to Klemper, but if he could get the pathetic ghost to help him, he'd be able to finish twice as fast, unfortunately part of the problem with letting Klemper help was listening to the ghost go on and on and on about the cool things they would do together.

"You're my best, best buddy," Klemper kept saying in a fevered tone, almost like a mantra. "My best buddy Vlad. My best, best buddy."

"Okay I get it," Vlad growled in annoyance. "Now be quiet and let's get this done!" Klemper looked at Vlad in bewilderment then began talking. He made imaginary plans for he and Vlad. They were going to visit the zoo, eat ice cream, have sleepovers, make popcorn, be best friends forever.

Vlad did his best to put up with Klemper for as long as possible, but finally he couldn't take the ghost's blabber any longer. He shouted for the ghost to shut up, which prompted Klemper to burst into tears.

"Stop crying," Vlad ordered as he clinched his fist holding the yellow garbage bag. "Just shut up!" Klemper closed his mouth and looked at Vlad as though he was waiting for a blow to the head.

"Listen," Vlad began. He took a deep breath and looked into Klemper's eyes. "I need you to do something for me. You're my friend. Right?"

"Yes," Klemper agreed. "I'm your best buddy, your friend forever."

Vlad ignored the pang of his conscience. Why it was acting up now, when it rarely had before, was beyond him. He shifted the bag from one hand to the other as he thought for a moment.

"I need to use the bathroom," he finally said. Klemper looked at him in complete and utter bewilderment.

"The little ghost's room," Vlad clarified as he rolled his eyes. Klemper looked at Vlad with a look of dawning understanding flashing slowly across his face.

"Unfortunately," Vlad continued, "I am unable to leave my work." Klemper gave Vlad a worried look as he hung on the evil villain's every word.

"How can I help?" Klemper asked, nearly panting with desperation to be helpful.

"I need you to go to the bathroom for me," Vlad told the ghost. "Do you think you can do that for me?" Klemper nodded his head vigorously.

"Good," Vlad said. "Now I can't use just any bathroom. You must to into the furthest regions of the Ghost Zone. I need a bathroom with a red door…you must only use one with a red door." Klemper nodded his head and took off to complete his task.

Vlad sighed as the annoying ghost disappeared then took in search or more trash. He took a deep breath and told himself how ridiculous he was being for feeling bad about sending Klemper off on a hopeless task. He wondered how long Klemper would search. Vlad knew from experience that there were no red doors in the deeper reaches of the Ghost Zone. It could be possible that Klemper was off seaching for that room, forever.

He contemplated briefly on going off to find Klemper, but he was skilled at ignoring the pangs of his conscience, so he shoved the niggling little voice of chastisement away and moved from his current position, to another, in search of more trash.

Vlad was feeling quite pleased with himself and the progress he'd made in the removal of trash from the Ghost Zone, when the twangy buzz of an incredibly annoying ghost. Vlad ran his filthy hand through his pristine black hair then frowned as he became aware that his appearance was probably now frazzled and worn.

"What are you doing?" the voice asked and Vlad turned to face the only ghost he'd had to literally steal technology from.

"Technus," Vlad said trying to keep his contempt from showing, for the moment. "It's been too long." Technus snorted and looked Vlad up and down.

"You're not here to steal from Technus, the Master of Technology?" Technus asked skeptically.

Vlad blinked at the ghost slowly. "Believe it or not, no. I have better business to attend to than observing your lame little gadgets."

Technus looked at the garbage bag in Vlad's hand and raised his eyebrows. "Collecting trash? Why?"

"Because it's fun," Vlad responded sarcastically.

"I, Technus, do not believe it that Plasmius the scourge of all ghost hybrids, would be wandering around the Ghost Zone, collecting mere bits of trash. What is really in the bag?"

"Trash," Vlad answered.

"And would it displease you if I were to steal this bag of obviously important junk from you?" Technus inquired. "As you stole my precious technology from me?"

"Not in the least," Vlad said dryly.

Technus eyed Vlad and the yellow garbage bag. "And so you would not be angry if I were to take the bag?"

Vlad smiled slightly as he loosened his grip on the bag. "Of course," he lied. Technus nodded his head then with a quick burst of speed, grabbed the bag from Vlad and took off laughing.

"Curse you!" Vlad yelled as he shook his fist in mock anger! "Curse you Technus, Master of Technology!" He paused to hear Technus as he cackled. Then smiled to himself, ghosts were so easily manipulated.

Vlad took a deep breath as he realized he had freed himself from the yellow trash bag. He smiled and was about to turn toward home when another bag appeared and found it's way into his hand.

"Oh cheese logs," he cursed. He hated Clockwork with the fire of a million burning suns and promised, that one day, he'd make the creature pay for this humiliation.

"But first," Vlad said angrily. "I have to pick up more garbage! Stupid Jack Fenton!"

**XxXxXxX**

**Guess who shows up to torment Vlad in the next chapter? Yup you guessed it, and we get to find out why Vlad is being punished too. Now PLEASE provide me with sweet inpiration in the form of reviews.  
**


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